our newest coach: sandy villines

​welcome to zwitty ultra!

Welcome to the Zwitty Ultra Endurance Training Program! With over 30 combined years of endurance running -- and racing -- experience, Dave Krupski, Sandra Villines, and Michele Graglia have competed (and done very well) in some of the world's most iconic marathons and ultramarathons, including the Boston Marathon, the New York City Marathon, the 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece, the Badwater 135 in Death Valley, the Skydive 200-miler, the 175-mile UltraMilano-Sanremo in Italy, the Leadville 100 (the "Race Across the Sky"), the Angeles Crest 100, the Keys 100, and many, many others. Between the two, Dave and Michele have finished about 40 races of 100 miles or longer (often winning or placing in the top-3), as well as over 30 marathons.

​Additionally, Dave is the race director for the DAYTONA RACE SERIES, including the iconic Daytona 100 and 50-mile races (December) and the brand-new Daytona Beach 50s (April), as well as the inaugural Lighthouse 100 (Michigan, June 10th). For more information on the Daytona 100, click here. For more info on the Daytona Beach 50s, click here. For more information on the Lighthouse 100, click here.

Dave started the Zwitty Ultra program in August 2014 to share his love and passion for running with others, and especially to use his experience and education/training/certifications to help runners reach their goals, ranging from finishing a marathon for the first time to competing to win the Badwater 135.

welcome sandra villines to the team!!!

We are incredibly-happy to announce that in February 2018, longtime Team Zwitty member Sandra Villines has joined the Zwitty coaching ranks!!

You can learn more about Sandy by clicking here, or clicking on "Meet The Team," above. In a nutshell, though, Sandy is the reigning champion of the World's Toughest Footrace, the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon, and she's also the newly-minted world-record holder of the transcon (running from San Francisco to New York City). This past fall, she took over two weeks off the old record, as she ran 57+ miles a day for 54+ days straight, to officially become the fastest woman to ever run across the United States in history.

​Far from possessing an elite level of natural talent -- Sandy's marathon PR is over 4 hours -- she has reached the upper echelons of the sport not through genetics, but because of her grit, determination, and an unwavering belief that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. She cannot wait to work with you to not only develop yourselves physically, but mentally as well. As she says, "when you can silence your mind, anything is possible"!

​medical support

We have also partnered with the ultra|DOC, Chris Roman, M.D., who will serve as the Medical Director for Zwitty Ultra!! Zwitty runners will have access to Dr. Roman, who is not only an impeccably-credentialed surgeon and radiologist (he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown Medical Center), but is also one of the most-accomplished road ultramarathon runners on the planet, making him -- by far -- the most-qualified ultrarunning doctor on the planet. (This is not hyperbole). For more information on the medical services Dr. Roman can provide to endurance athletes, click here.

There are no “magic pills” or tricks in this business. This is the beauty of endurance running events: they are meritocracies . . . the harder you work, the better you will perform, period. But there is a huge difference between intelligent/analytical training and just “winging” it.

That is where we come in. Whether you are training for your first marathon, trying to qualify for Boston, running your first ultra, or trying to win Badwater 135, Western States, or Leadville, we can help you devise a training plan and race-day strategy that will let you realize your goal. To be clear, you will be the one doing all the work; but we will be resources who will be steadfastly and 100% in your corner at all times.

Zwitty ultra coaching: program details

Fees: $125/month for as little or long as you want. This price is less than most other coaching programs; we are not looking to get rich off of anyone . . . just to share some of our accumulated knowledge/experience and break even given the time commitment. The monthly fee can either be paid via personal check, or through PayPal with either your PayPal account, or any major credit/debit card (no PayPal account is needed for you to pay with this option).

But Seriously? Why $125 When Others Charge More and Limit Contact?: Simple. While we are very experienced and qualified in this sport, we want to be affordable to as many people as possible, while providing flexibility and maximum contact. We love helping other runners reach their goals; it is immensely-satisfying for us, and in our experience, our runners quickly become lifelong friends.

Initial Consultation:The first step in the program is a 30-60 minute initial phone call (or in-person meeting if you live in the Jacksonville or Los Angeles areas) to assess (1) your goals, (2) your current fitness level, (3) your available time to train, (4) your endurance running background, and (5) your nutrition habits.

﻿The Program﻿:Once you sign up, we will provide you with highly personalized weekly workouts. We are ALL different and have different goals, different availabilities, different body types, and different running backgrounds. So no two programs will be alike. (A training program for a person attempting his first marathon will look vastly different than for an accomplished marathon runner seeking to run her first 100-miler in under 24 hours).

Contacting us during the program: We will be available to you without limitation throughout your training (via phone, email, text, facebook, Pony Express, whatever you want). We do have lives and families, so “without limitation” means that we guarantee you we will always get back to you within 24 hours (and almost always much sooner; the average response time is more accurately measured in minutes, not hours). So contact us as much as you want; there is no question too small in this sport; Dave, Sandy and Michele all understand how most ultrarunners’ minds work… :)

With that in mind, whether you sign up with Dave, Sandy, or Michele as your primary coach, all of them are available to you without limitation to use as resources for all of your needs.

Constant communication is absolutely key to an effective training cycle leading up to a big race. We need to know how you are feeling, how you are responding to training, and your confidence level as the training progresses. A large part of the program will be dealing with the “mental game” of ultras, which is absolutely critical on race day.

If this sounds good, please use the tabs at the top of the page to explore the website, and learn a little more about us, as well as their training philosophy, and -- importantly -- all of the extremely-positive endorsements/testimonials they have received so far. Thanks for visiting, and Dave, Sandy, and Michele look forward to talking to you soon!